Contact: Robbie Ward
Jerry Gilbert (l) and David Shaw, vice president for research and economic development.
STARKVILLE, Miss.--An internationally recognized Mississippi State faculty member in high-voltage research is receiving the university's 2010 Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award.
Stan Grzybowski is a professor in the Bagley College of Engineering's department of electrical and computer engineering. He also directs the High Voltage Laboratory, the largest such facility at a North American public university.
The annual honor is a memorial to the MSU alumnus and longtime research vice president who died in 1996. The recognition program began the following year.
Grzybowski, who holds the Mississippi Power Endowed Professorship in the Bagley College, is a veteran authority in high-voltage studies, with more than a half century in the field and more than 20 at MSU.
He is a doctoral graduate of Poland's Technical University of Warsaw, and holds the highest individual academic qualification a person can achieve in certain Asian and European countries.
Powe Award winners are announced annually at a campus banquet sponsored by the offices of the vice presidents for Research and Economic Development, and Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.
"Dr. Grzybowski is an internationally recognized expert in lightning effects and the evaluation of insulation performance of transmission and distribution lines," said Sarah A. Rajala, dean of the Bagley College. "He excels in scholarly research and is one of the most prolific publishers in the college."
A leader in the international scientific community for studying various aspects of lightning activities, Grzybowski is the author of more than 250 research publications, as well as three books on high-voltage engineering.
In 1998, he was honored by peers with election as a Fellow of IEEE, the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. He also is an IEEE Life Fellow, and holds the honorary title of "Guest Professor" of China's Chongqing University.
In a letter supporting Grzybowski's selection for the Powe Award, the co-director of the University of Florida's International Center for Lightning Research and Testing praised his Southeastern Conference colleague's depth of knowledge and experience.
"He is recognized worldwide as the highest authority on issues of high-voltage laboratory testing and electrical insulation," wrote professor Vladimir A. Rakov. "Whenever I am approached by colleagues or reporters with a question about high-voltage testing, I refer them to MSU, to Dr. Stan Grzybowski."
During Grzybowski's academic career, he also has been recognized for teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. While at MSU, he has served as major professor for six students pursuing doctorates and nearly two dozen seeking master's degrees.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact Dr. Grzybowski at 662-325-2148 or stangrzy@ece.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.